Intentional or not, the Conservatives were clever when naming their centrepiece farm support program: AgriStability.
It is a misnomer, of course, promising nothing like stability for farmers who need it most in sectors in prolonged slump. But at least it cannot be converted into a four-letter word.
The predecessor Liberals were much better at creating user-friendly four-letter-word acronyms for their failed programs – CAIS and GRIP come to mind. These word-like acronyms were a critic’s delight.
“You think this program is working? Get a grip.”
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“You want to see a template for a failed program? Cais in point.”
It is difficult to fit AgriStability into a clever sentence of complaint. But then, today’s crop of farm leaders likely wouldn’t be tempted to use it anyway, even if it was a four-letter word.
Farm leaders were once only too happy to denounce the federal-provincial programs that they thought were not rising to the challenge of helping farmers in distress.
These days? Not so much.
Farm leaders, particularly in hog and livestock sectors, readily admit AgriStability is not working. They have relatively modest proposals for change but seem loath to criticize the government for not acting.
Perhaps they accept the government’s argument that more payouts could trigger trade challenges.
Perhaps they are reluctant to antagonize an agriculture minister who does not like criticism.
Or perhaps they accept government arguments that there is no more money.
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has been clear that finances are an issue.
“We’ve always said these programs have to be bankable and predictable,” he said after meeting provincial ministers last winter. “They also have to be bankable and predictable for our treasury boards and finance departments so I’m not going to commit to any specifics at this point.”
Back in CAIS days, that would have been a red flag in the face of farm leader bulls. But there was hardly a farm lobby peep.
The exception is in Ontario, where a coalition of farm leaders is running an aggressive campaign to convince federal and provincial governments that current support is inadequate and the farm sector needs something more bold from its politicians – a more effective AgriStability program and a cost-of-production provincial companion program.
“Ontario farmers need a cost-of-production-based business risk management program from January 2009 to run in concert with an improved AgriStability program,” Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Bette Jean Crews, a coalition leader, said last week. “This proposal would fund 100 percent of the difference between the average market price and a floor price that’s based on the cost of producing each commodity.”
They are unlikely to get agreement. But as many as 30 Ontario MPs in Conservative caucus do have significant rural voters and the coalition is targeting them.
It’s comforting to see that at least in one province, there is some farmer pushback to the government status quo. Someone has a GRIP on the CAIS of inadequate support.
